Top Ten

Here are 10 of my favorite baby products. I don't like clutter and "stuff", and even if I did, we don't have room for it. We tried to get away with as little as possible. We never bought a baby swing because they take out so much space. We also never had an infant car seat, just a convertible.

In the first months, we did without a pack and play, baby monitor and stroller. Because of his hip dysplasia, we eventually bought both. My dad also bought me a monitor when he came to visit. The pack and play is now stored again. I also now have a stroller I LOVE. Anyway, here are my top ten, in no specific order.

                      

1. Smartphone: I can not imagine surviving the long nights and breastfeeding without one. Also, having an easy way to take a picture and share it online right away. Now that I track how much Andrew eats, poops, meds, etc. Baby ESP is a great app. 2. SwaddleMe: Andrew liked being swaddled, he slept better. These worked out great even when he was in the spica cast and the rhino hip brace, we only swaddled his upper body then. 3. Bumgenius Cloth Diapers: My favorite type of cloth diaper so far. 4. Boppy Pillow: great for breastfeeding. He also liked sleeping in it, with a blanket over it when he was in the spica cast. 5. Baby ComfyNose: The concept may seem gross to some, but you will quickly get over it once you see how great it works. I use it a lot! So worth it. 6. Ergo Performance: I couldn't decide which carrier to choose because I'm really loving the Boba now too. It took a while for Andrew to like the Ergo, but now he is totally fine in both. Super must have!

7. Marpac White Noise Generator: I wish we would have gotten this sooner. At first we were using a cell phone app, but I noticed the sound loop, which was super annoying. While the Marpac is not visually pretty,  it works very well. Combine with #2 and bam! Hopefully these 2 little gadgets will help your baby sleep better. 8. Fisher Price Rocker: I thought this was a good alternative to a baby swing. This is another thing Andrew slept in when he had his surgeries. It's lightweight, so it can be easily moved from one room to another. We keep this in the kitchen. I put him in this when I need to take a shower, I just bring it to where I can see him. 9. Activity Gym: This is the only "big" toy we had, it was a gift. He really enjoyed it. I recently packed it away. He fell asleep while playing in it many times. 10. Bumbo: Because of Andrew's special needs, this was the only thing I could use to get him in a sitting position (when he wasn't in the cast or brace). We keep this in our car now, to use when we eat out, since he can't really sit in their high chairs. 

Others items that I also like and didn't make it to the top ten are: Boon Grass Drying rack, waterproof crib pads, baby monitor and night lights. I hope this is useful to someone :)